Woofsy HDRpro by itself does not produce the goods.A lot of work is subsequently required manipulating local tone and contrast to get a good result.The fact that Lr will allow manipulation of 32-bit TIFF files has made things a lot easier.

Christoph has made a really valid point.The need for HDR is continually shrinking due to improvements in sensor dynamic range in late-model cameras.

Nonetheless, HDR skills are still worth acquiring but there is a steep learning curve to get good results.

So which cameras today offer this broad dynamic range? Lots I have seen fail. I have a Canon 5D Mark 2 and it seems to miss the mark too, so to speak.

The DR issue is a work in progress.The 5D mark III is better than the 5D mark II but the difference is not a quantom leap.Recent Sony sensors, found in Nikon and, of course, Sony cameras, have excellent DR and are a big leap forward for "full frame" sensors.Many pro's who shoot landscape have migrated to the Nikon D800 with its combination of excellent DR as well as the 36 MP sensor.

So I guess the idea of Hdr is to insure that there is a large amount of information in the extreme tones. Then one manipulates as usual in Photoshop.

"HDR" can mean many things, depending on context. Most commonly it will mean the combined actions of:1. Using exposure bracketing in order to capture more DR information than the camera image sensor is capable of in one go2. Synthesizing a single, high-DR image from the raw files3. Applying automated tone-mapping in order to make the HDR file viewable on LDR displays/prints

It is perfectly possible to do exposure bracketing in order to only "pick the best" afterwards, or to combine them using other techniques (e.g. blending). It is possible to massage a HDR image into LDR by manual tehcniques. It is also possible to apply tone-mapping techniques on single camera images.

There are also other techniques for capturing a wide-DR scene (e.g. graduated ND-filters), or for reducing the DR of a scene (timing the sun position, using flash etc).

I believe that the main point is to have a scene that is "pretty" or that interest you. Once you have that, applying good technique will only allow you to capture it better.

"HDR" can mean many things, depending on context. Most commonly it will mean the combined actions of:1. Using exposure bracketing in order to capture more DR information than the camera image sensor is capable of in one go2. Synthesizing a single, high-DR image from the raw files3. Applying automated tone-mapping in order to make the HDR file viewable on LDR displays/prints

It is perfectly possible to do exposure bracketing in order to only "pick the best" afterwards, or to combine them using other techniques (e.g. blending). It is possible to massage a HDR image into LDR by manual tehcniques. It is also possible to apply tone-mapping techniques on single camera images.

There are also other techniques for capturing a wide-DR scene (e.g. graduated ND-filters), or for reducing the DR of a scene (timing the sun position, using flash etc).

I believe that the main point is to have a scene that is "pretty" or that interest you. Once you have that, applying good technique will only allow you to capture it better.